Machine vision and optical inspection systems are vital to many production processes and often rely on couplings to deliver accurate performance and high productivity. Bobby Watkins and Alex Ruland of Ruland Manufacturing offer advice on choosing the right coupling for the job. MACHINE VISION and optical inspection systems are demanding applications requiring precision components. One vital component is the zero-backlash coupling used to connect motors and gearboxes to the linear systems that move the optical components. System designers need to choose the best coupling to use based on the needs of the application. Some types of zero-backlash coupling have vibration dampening characteristics. An important reason for reducing vibration in machine vision systems relates to "settling time" - the length of time that a vision system needs to stop vibrating after an optical component is moved into position to take an image. Images taken before the system has stopped vibrating can be blurred and inaccurate. Reducing settling time cuts the time spent waiting between movements, resulting in higher production rates.
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